Coal cutter



Get, 23, 1923.,

M. S. MOORE COAL CUTTER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 iled av 26 1922 Get. 23-, 1923. wzww M. 'S. MOORE COAL CUTTER Filed May 26. 1922 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ill!" Him!! I "Ili m IH IIII "11"" Patented Get. 23, 1923.

MATTHEW sivzlrn Mocnn, or LGNDON,

Lewd??? FATENT WWQE.

ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO COWLISHAW,

WALKER 6: COMPANY (1920) LIMITED, OF LONDON, ENGLAND, A BRITISH COIvI- PANY.

COAL CUTTER.

Application filed May 26, 1 922. Serial No. 563,969.

T 0 all whom it may concern.

Be it known that T, MATTHEW SMITH Moonn, a subject of the King of England, residing at London, En land, iave invented certain new and useful Improvements in Coal Cutters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is for improvements in or relating to coalcutters of the type in which the cutting arm is carried by a circular body portion which has swivelling engagement with, or is rotatably mounted in the gearhead, this body portion being commonly known as the banjo. The term cuttingarm is used to describe any type of out ter bar or chain cutter.

As ordinarily constructed, the swivelling or rotatable connection is provided by means of a radially extending flange on the banjo which engages a lip or an annular channel formed on the gear-head. In the case of cutter-bar machines, the gear-head has been made divisible along a central vertical plane so that when one half of it has been removed, the banjo can be withdrawn from the groove in which it is mounted, and in which it rotates. The object of this invention is to provide a construction whereby the division of the gear-head into two parts is avoided, whilst still providing means for readily separating the banjo portion from the gear-head.

According to this invention, the flange on the banjo portion is replaced by an annular channel whereof the upper wall is constituted by a detachable ring divided transversely and secured to the banjo portion by bolts or the like entered from the top of the flange, and the gear-head is provided with one or more openings (with or without detachable cover plates) to permit of access to these bolts and the insertion or removal of the ring, and a lip to engage the annular chamber of the banjo.

It will thus be seen that by removing the said cover-plates, if these are employed, the fastening means of the ring constituting the aforesaid flange can be removed and then the separate parts of the ring can be withdrawn through the opening provided by the cover-plate. This leaves the banjo-portion free to be removed bodily downwards from the gear-head.

Heretofore small loose retaining-plates have been used in the banjo to hold in place .able therein.

the wheels which effect the reciprocating movement of the cutter-bar, and these retaining plates have been in turn bolted on to the banjo-portion. A further feature of the present invention relates to providing the aforesaid detachable flange with projections to lie over these wheels and thereby retain them in position.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate one embodiment of this invention- Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical sec tion of a part of a coal-cutter, showing the gearing connecting the motor to the cuttingarm;

Figure 2 is a plan of Figure 1 with parts of the cover-plates removed, and partly in section, to show the interior; and

Figure 8 is a detail view in section on the line 33 of Figure 2.

Like reference characters indicate like parts throughout the drawings.

The casing constituting the gear-head is indicated at 10 and the body portion or banjo at 11. The casing 10 is formed at its lower edge with an inwardly directed lip 12, and the banjo 11 is formed near its upper surface with a recess 13 which is so po sitioned and proportioned that the banjo spigots into the gear-head 1.0, and is rotat- Tt is retained in position by means of a plate 14, which is substantially circular'in shape and is divided along a diameter as shown most clearly in Figure 2. The overall diameter of this plate is greater than the internal diameter of the gear-head between the opposed faces of the inwardly-turned lip 12, and the plate 14:, 15 is secured to the body 11 of the banjo by bolts 16. When these parts are thus secured together, the portion of the plate 14, 15 overlapping the lip12 on the gear-head constitutes a side wall for the recess 13 in the banjo so as to make "this recess into an annular recess within which the lip 12 is contained. The banjo 11 is thereby securely retained in engagement with the gearhead 10 but is freely rotatable therein. Such rotation is effected in any known or convenient manner, for example by means of rack-teeth 17 formed on the outer surface of the banjo engaged by a rotatable worm 18 driven by suitable gearing from the main driving motor for the whole de vice.

One of the advantages of this construcring 1%, 15.

tion over the constructions hitherto used is that when wear of the rubbing surfaces takes place, it is only necessary to machine the to surface of the banjo, in contact with which the plate 1e, 15 lies, so as to reduce the effective width of the annular gap 13 until a satisfactory fit is obtained of these parts on the inturned lip 12.

In order to provide easy access to the bolts 16, a detachable cover-plate 1.9 is preferably provided on the top of the gearhead so that when this is removed, there is adequate space for working on the bolts 16 and also for withdrawing the split plate or The two parts are withdrawn separately, and there is, therefore, no neces sity to provide a cover-plate having an opening of the same size as the plate 14, 15.

The main driving-shaft of the gear-head is indicated at 20, receiving its drive from the motor, not shown. "VVith the above described construction of banjo, the heads of the hot 16 projects upwards sufficiently far to prevent the shaft 20 extending to the center of the gear-head. Accordingly there is provided a lay-shaft 22 which is arranged parallel with the main shaft 20, but at a higher level, and the drive is transmitted from the main shaft 20 through the pinions 23, 24 to the lay-shaft and thence in the usual manner by a bevel-pinion 25 to the bevel vhee". 26. This latter wheel is mounted in the usual manner on the shaft 27 which is coaxial with the axis of rotation of the banjo, and which carries at itslower end bevel-wheel 28 meshing with a bevelwheel 29 to transmit the drive to the cutterbar.

Another feature of this invention relates to the mechanism for effecting the reciprocating movement of the cutter-bar and in this connection reference is directed to Figures 2 and 3. The wheel 29 aforesaid is formed with or has connected to it a worm 30 which drives a worm-wheel 31 mounted on a spindle 32 rotating in a suitable bore in the body of the banjo 11. This wheel 31 carries in the usual manner an eccentricclly-situated pin 33 which is engaged by'one end of the link 34. This link or a pair of similar links is connected in the 7 usual manner to the rear end of thecutterbar 35 through the thrust-bearings 36 to effect the reciprocation of the same as the dimensioned as to effect the retention of the wheel 1 in its correct position.

What I claim as my-invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In acoal-cutter, the combination o facasing constituting a gear-head and having within it an inwardly-directed circular lip, abanjo-like body-portion having atone side an outwardly-directed cylindrical flange journaled in said lip, said body-portionconstituting a casing for a cutter-member and h'aving'a face hearing against one side of said lip, and a divided ring seated on the end of said flange within the banjo-like body-portion and arranged to overlap the other side of said lip for retaining the banjo in pivotal engagement withthe gearhead. 7

2. In a coal-cutter, the combination of a casing constituting a gear-head and having within it an inwardly-directed Circular lip, a banjo-like body-portion having at one side an outwardly-directed cylindrical flange journaled in said lip, said body JUTtlOIl constituting a casing for a cutter memher and having a face bearing against one-side of said lip, a divided ring seated on the end of said flange within the banjo-like i body portion and arranged to overlap the other side of said lip for retaining the banjo in pivotal engagement with the gear-head, and reciprocating means in said banjo for a cutter-member, said reciprocating means comprising a gear wheel having aspindle at one side journaled with its axis parallel to the axis of swiveling of'the banjo, said divided ring having means to cooperate with the other side of said gear-wheel to retain the same in place.

In testimony whereof I aflix mv signature.

' MATTHEW SMITH MOORE. 

